Plier-type cutters are often used in orthodontics to cut a variety of orthodontic appliances, such as wires, ligatures, facebows, and the like, made of stainless steels, titanium alloys or other orthodontic metals. These orthodontic cutters typically include a pair of plier halves, with each plier half having a handle, a pivot section, and a jaw with a cutting edge. The two plier halves are pivotally connected at their pivot section such that relative movement of the handles will cause relative movement of the jaws. It is desirable for such orthodontic cutters to be made of a material which is corrosion resistant, to have hard cutting edges and for the balance of the cutter to be tough.
Heretofore, one form of these cutters employed cutting edge inserts made of carbide or tool steel which were braised or otherwise secured to the jaw of each plier half, with the balance of each plier half being made of stainless steel, typically 17-4 PH.
In the orthodontic field, as in other medical fields, it is important to maintain clean and sterile instruments. Orthodontic cutters are typically cleaned or sterilized with high temperature steam after every use. The cleaning and sterilizing procedures, and even the orthodontic procedures in which they are used, often subject the cutters to corrosive environments. While carbide and tool steel cutting edge inserts enable the cutter to hold its cutting edge without fracturing, they are not as corrosion resistant as the remaining stainless steel portion of the cutter. Thus, the carbide and tool steel inserts have a tendency to corrode after only limited use, requiring costly rework or replacement. Another disadvantage of such orthodontic cutters is the relatively high cost of manufacturing the cutting edge inserts and mounting those inserts to the jaws of each plier half.
Attempts at making such orthodontic cutters more corrosion resistant have included coating the plier with a corrosion resistant material, such as chrome plating. However, after continued use the protective coating either wears or chips off of at least portions of the cutting edge inserts, exposing the corrodible underlying metal.